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Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
09:00

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Published on: October 3, 2020

Reducing information avoidance through affirmation.

Jennifer L Howell1, James A Shepperd

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 112250, Gainesville, FL 32611-2250, USA. jenny.howell@ufl.edu

Psychological Science
|January 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Affirming self-worth can reduce avoidance of medical screening feedback. This strategy may increase participation in important health screenings by mitigating fear of potentially threatening results.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Health Communication

Background:

  • Medical screening offers health benefits but can be avoided due to fear of negative results.
  • Threatening health information can lead individuals to avoid important medical screenings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if affirming self-worth can decrease avoidance of medical screening feedback.
  • To determine if self-affirmation mitigates avoidance in scenarios with high personal obligation or untreatable conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Three studies were conducted using an online risk calculator for a hypothetical medical condition.
  • Participants were given a choice to receive or decline their risk feedback after assessment.
  • Self-worth affirmation was manipulated to assess its effect on feedback avoidance.

Main Results:

  • Self-affirmation significantly decreased participants' avoidance of medical risk feedback.
  • Affirmation eliminated increased avoidance when feedback implied obligation for undesired actions.
  • Self-affirmation also reduced avoidance when feedback concerned risks for untreatable diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Affirming individuals' self-worth is a viable strategy to reduce avoidance of medical screening feedback.
  • This psychological intervention shows promise for enhancing engagement with preventative health measures.
  • Findings suggest self-affirmation can overcome psychological barriers to medical screening participation.